Omnibus

As Senate and House negotiators met last Thursday to work on the omnibus energy bill, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) offered for consideration a “discussion draft” proposal that would make it illegal for companies and individual parties to participate in round-trip, or “wash,” trades involving electricity. It did not address natural gas round-trip activities, but Barton spokeswoman Samantha Jordan said the draft was a “first step,” and that there was a “possibility” a ban on similar trades on the gas side would be added later.

As Senate and House negotiators met Thursday to work on the omnibus energy bill, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) offered for consideration a “discussion draft” proposal that would make it illegal for companies and individual parties to participate in round-trip, or “wash,” trades involving electricity. While it did not address natural gas round-trip activities, Barton spokeswoman Samantha Jordan noted the draft was a “first step,” and there was a “possibility” that a ban on similar trades on the gas side would be added later.

As Senate and House negotiators met Thursday to work on the omnibus energy bill, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) offered for consideration a “discussion draft” proposal that would make it illegal for companies and individual parties to participate in round-trip, or “wash,” trades involving electricity. While it did not address natural gas round-trip activities, Barton spokeswoman Samantha Jordan noted the draft was a “first step,” and there was a “possibility” that a ban on similar trades on the gas side would be added later.

The Senate last week scaled back proposals in its omnibus energy bill that sought to expand the authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to review energy mergers, remedy “unjust” electricity rates, award market-based rate authority and order the construction of transmission facilities.

The Senate has scaled back proposals in its omnibus energy bill that would have expanded the authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to review energy mergers, remedy “unjust” electricity rates, award market-based rate authority and order the construction of transmission facilities.

The White House last week dodged questions about how the $33.5 billion in tax incentives and credits passed by the House of Representatives in its omnibus energy bill — more than three times the amount proposed by President Bush — would be funded.

In a rebuff to the Senate Republicans’ omnibus energy bill, theranking Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural ResourcesCommittee plans to introduce his own comprehensive energylegislation this week, according to a spokeswoman.

One-call pipeline safety legislation moved much closer tobecoming law this week as the Senate voted to add it to omnibustransportation legislation and representatives Richard Hugh Baker(R-LA) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) introduced a nearly identicalone-call bill in the House of Representatives. The Senate alreadyhas passed one-call as a stand alone bill (S. 1115) but includingit in the larger transportation package increases its chances ofbecoming law.